The Bossier banner., 1887-08-04


started, AMI an enlightened common
wealth established, and the worlds his
tory has no more brilliant page than that
which tells of the Transformation of a
nation by one book. It di not seem OF
much Importance whether the sailor con-
tinued to hold the book in his teeth or let
1t fall in the breakers, but upon what
small circumstance depended what
mighty resultsi
Practical inference: There are no in
slgnifcances in our lives. The minutest
thing is part of a magnitude. Infinity is
made up of infinitesimals. Great things an
aggre CATION of small things. Bethlehem
manger pulling on star in the eastern
sky. One book in a drenched sailors
mouth the evangelization of a multitude.
One boat of papyrus on the Nile freighted
with events for all ages. The fate of
Christendom in a basket let down from
window on the wall.
What you do, do well. If you make a
rope make it strong and true, for you
know not how much may depend on your
workmanship. II you fashion boat let
it be waterproof, for you low not who
may sail in it. If you put Bible in the
trunk of your boy as he goes from home,
let it be heard in your prayers, for it may
have a mission as far-reaching as the
book which the sailor carried in his teeth
to the Pitcairn beach. The plainest mans
life is an island letween two eternities
eternity past ripping against his
shoulders, eternity to come touching his
brow. The casual, the accidental, that
which merely happened so, are parts of a
great plan, and the rope that let's the
fugitive apostle from the Damascus wall
10 IL %t1% l,o1I 1r;, k1~
ship of the Church in the northeast storm
of the centuries.
Again, notice uurecognized unrecorded
services. Who spun that ropea Who tied
it to the basket Who steadied the illus
trious preacher as he stepped into it.
Who relaxed not a muscle of the arm or
dismissed an anxious look from his face
until the basket touched the ground and
discharged its magnificent cargoa Not
one of their names has come to US, but
there was no work done that day in
Damascus or in all the earth compared
with the importance Of their work. W hat
il they had in the agitation tied knot
that could slipl What if the sound of the
mob at the ,or had led them to say:
"Paul must take care of himself, and
we will take care of ourselves"
No, mol They held the rope, and in do
ing 80 did more for the Christian Church
than any thousand Of US will ever ac-
cOmplish. Bat Go knows and has made
eternal record Of their nder taking. And
they know. How exultant they must
have felt when they read his letters to
the Romans, to the Corinthians, to the
Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philip
plans, to the Colossians, to the Thessalon-
ians, to Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon, to
the Hebrews, and when they heard how he
walked out Of prison with the earth
quake unlocking the door for him, and
took com mand of the Alexandrian corn
ship when the sailors were scared nearly
to death, aud preached a sermon that
shook Felix of his judgment seat. hear
the men and women who helped him
down through the window and over the
wall talking in private over the matter,
and saying:
"How glad I am that we effected that
rescue In coming times others may get
the glory of Pauls work, but no one
shall rob US of the sati sfaction Of know
ing that we held the rope"
Oace for thirty-six hours we expected
every moment to go to the bottom of the
ocean. The waves struck through the
skylights and rushed down into the hold
of the ship and Kissed against the boilers.
1t was an awful time, but by the blessing
of God and the faithfulness of the men in
charge we came out of the cyclone and
we arrived at home. Each one before
leaving the ship thanked Captain An
drews. lido not think there was man or
woman that went off that ship withou
thanking Captain Andrews, and when
years after heard Of his death, was i'm
1oA fn yxry.ifo at Of AL -
his family in Liverpool Everybody rec
ognized the goodness, the courage, the
| kindness of Captain Andrews, but it oc-
| ours to me now that we never thanked
the engineer. He stood away down in
| the darkness anil the kissing furnaces
| doing his whole duty. Nobody thanked
the engineer, but God recognized his
| heroism and his continuance and his
| fidelity, and there will be just as high
| reward for the engineer, who worked out
of sight, as for the Captain, who stood on
the bridge of the ship in the midst of the
bowling tempest
There are said to be about SO 200 min
listers of religion in this country, About
| $1,000 warrant came from early homes
which had to struggle for the necessities
| OF life. The sons of rich bankers and
merchants generally become bankers and
merchants. The most of those who be
come ministers are the sons of those he
had terrific struggle to get their every
day bread. The collegiate and theological
| education of that son took every luxury
from the parental table for eight years
The other children were more scantily ap
pareled. The son at college every little
| while got bundle from home. In it were
the socks that mother had knit, sitting ur
late at night, her sight not as good as once
it was. And there also were some delica
cies from the sisters hand for the vora
cious appetite of q hungry student. The
father swung the heavy cradle through
the wheat. the sweat rolling from his chr
bedewing every step of the way, and ther
| sitting down under the cherry tree al
noon thinking to himself.
81 am fearfully tired. but it will pay il
can once see that boy through college
and ii can know that he will be preach.
ing the Gospel after / am dead"
The younger children want to know
why they can't have this and that al
others do, and the mother says:
"Be patient, my children, until youl
brother graduates, and then you shall
have more luxuries but we must see tha
boy through"
N L